Sir Roger Moore’s unseen home videos

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Watch home video of Roger Moore with Kirk Douglas and Olivia Newton-John

He had a licence to charm on screen, with his sultry voice and suave, chiselled good looks. But in private, actor Sir Roger Moore – who played James Bond in seven films – was equally as comfortable behind the camera.

A new BBC documentary to air on Christmas Day will reveal never-before-seen home video footage, filmed by Sir Roger himself, of his family and very famous friends – including actor Kirk Douglas and singer Olivia Newton-John.

A young Sir Elton John is also spotted descending from the skies in a helicopter ready for lunch with Sir Roger and other celebrity guests – the likes of Joan Collins and David Attenborough.

Sir Roger’s son Geoffrey, who found the old video cassettes in the cupboards and garage at his family’s home in Switzerland, remembers the gathering in France well.

He played a game of tennis with Sir Elton, he recalls, in an exclusive interview for BBC News, before the singer flew off to Cannes to film the music video for his hit song, I’m Still Standing.

Getty Images Sir Roger is sitting on the bonnet of a black and red Lotus Esprit Turbo sports car. Behind him are snow covered mountains. Sir Roger is wearing a warm white puffy jacket, brown trousers and brown gloves. The numbers "007" can be seen written on his jacket. On the back of the car, are two sets of skis. — For Your Eyes Only – Sir Roger poses on the set of his fifth Bond movie

Sir Roger also got behind the camera to film much more intimate occasions with his three children – Geoffrey, Deborah and Christian – and their mother, his third wife, Italian actress Luisa Mattioli.

Bringing the memories of the past back to life again on screen proved poignant for Geoffrey and his siblings.

“I think the way he was just filming was as any father would film his children. It was just a family guy recording, documenting a time,” says Geoffrey.

“I think it was also because [the camera] was a new toy, so he wanted to use it.”

Sir Roger with his wife Luisa and children Deborah and Geoffrey – 1970s

Alamy Sir Roger Moore lies on a hammock. He is wearing swimming trunks and has his arm outstretched above him. He is smiling and looking relaxed. His wife Luisa is crouching down alongside the hammock. She is also wearing swimwear and has a towel wrapped around her hair. She looks content. Sir Roger's young son Geoffrey is sitting on his lap. He has dark brown hair and is looking at the camera apprehensively. Sir Roger's daughter Deborah is sitting on a small green motorcycle beside the hammock. She also has dark brown hair and is wearing a pale blue dress. She has a half smile on her face. — Sir Roger with his wife Luisa and children Deborah and Geoffrey – 1970s

Growing up, being surrounded by stars from the silver screen was normal for Geoffrey.

“I mean [Frank] Sinatra was very close to the family and we used to spend a lot of Thanksgivings and Easters together. Kirk Douglas, Cary Grant, Gregory Peck, they were all very, very dear friends.”

Sir Roger’s daughter Deborah remembers her father couldn’t keep up with Frank Sinatra’s drinking and would secretly pour his whisky into the plant pots.

Sir Roger and singer Frank Sinatra, seen here with Sinatra’s fourth wife Barbara, would sometimes spend Thanksgiving together

Getty Images Sir Roger smiles as he poses for a picture with singer Frank Sinatra and his wife Barbara. Sir Roger and Frank Sinatra are holding a trophy together. They are dressed smartly in dinner jackets and bow ties. Sir Roger is wearing glasses and looks overjoyed. Frank Sinatra's wife Barbara is standing next to her husband. She has blonde hair, and is wearing a green, off-the-shoulder, evening dress with black tiger stripes on it. She has dangly emerald earrings. — Sir Roger and singer Frank Sinatra, seen here with Sinatra’s fourth wife Barbara, would sometimes spend Thanksgiving together

The family would watch comedy duo Morecambe and Wise on TV on a Friday night, says Geoffrey, and then Eric and Ernie would come over for Sunday lunch.

He also remembers meeting Clint Eastwood and Sean Connery – the first James Bond – as well as stars from Hollywood’s golden age, such as Fred Astaire and Olivia De Havilland.

“I mean, if I think about how lucky we were… to the point where even Roger would say, ‘Goodness, look at that, we’ve got Gene Kelly sitting there. Isn’t that wonderful!'”.

A young Sir Roger grew up in south London

Alamy A black and white image of Sir Roger Moore as a child. He has a serious but pensive expression on his face and is wearing a stripy shirt, a tie and a patterned knitted jumper. He has a full head of dark hair. — A young Sir Roger grew up in south London

But despite being surrounded by stardom, Sir Roger was very “self-deprecating”, says Geoffrey.

“I always say, the bigger the talent, the smaller the limousine. And he was incredibly humble,” he says.

At the end of a day’s filming, Sir Roger would simply enjoy watching TV with his family in his dressing gown and slippers.

“His treat was baked beans on toast,” says Geoffrey. “He didn’t need caviar.”

Sir Roger came from humble beginnings. He grew up in Stockwell in south London. His father was a police officer and his mother worked in a tearoom. He crafted his aristocratic English accent at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (Rada) and earned money modelling knitting patterns.

His big break came in 1962, playing Simon Templar in the TV series, The Saint.

In his younger days, Sir Roger modelled knitting patterns – including fetching tank tops

Alamy A young Sir Roger Moore is seen modelling knitwear. He is handsome with dark brown hair and a smile on his face. He is wearing a patterned tank top which is predominantly blue with diamond shapes on it, but it also features red and green love hearts. He has his arm around a woman who has brown curly hair and bright red lipstick on. She is wearing a white jumper with a blue decorative pattern around the neckline. Like Sir Roger, she is gazing into the distance. — In his younger days, Sir Roger modelled knitting patterns – including fetching tank tops

Geoffrey recalls the phone call his father received when he found out he had been chosen to take over the role of Britain’s most famous secret agent.

The last three digits of Sir Roger’s phone number just happened to be 007.

“He answered the phone with ‘007’, because that’s what you do, and the voice said, ‘That you are Roger,'” says Geoffrey.

Sir Roger used to take his children to the film sets

Getty Images In this black and white image, Sir Roger is seen on the film set of the Bond film, The Man With The Golden Gun. He is crouching down next to a chair which has his name written on the back. His young son Christian is standing on the chair and Sir Roger is holding his hand. In the background, you can see pipes and tunnels. — Sir Roger used to take his children to the film sets

Sean Connery was the closest to author Ian Fleming’s depiction of the character in his spy novels, says Geoffrey, as in “I’m going to sleep with you and kill your boss tomorrow”.

“Whereas, Roger didn’t want to fire a gun really,” says Geoffrey, “he just sort of killed them with charm.”

He always had a very sardonic approach, says Geoffrey, and that was his interpretation, he adds.

“Let’s make James Bond Roger Moore,” he says, “[as] opposed to Roger having to play a hired gun who is licensed to kill. And I think he was more like ‘licensed to thrill.'”

This took an enormous amount of talent, says Geoffrey.

Of the Bond films that starred Sir Roger, Geoffrey says his father’s favourite was The Spy Who Loved Me.

In The Spy Who Loved Me, Sir Roger came up against one of the franchise’s most famous henchmen – Jaws – and his metal teeth

Getty Images Sir Roger Moore is seen on the set of the James Bond film, The Spy Who Loved Me. He is wearing a double-breasted naval officer's uniform and is pointing a gun at someone off camera. He has a serious and purposeful expression on his face. — In The Spy Who Loved Me, Sir Roger came up against one of the franchise’s most famous henchmen – Jaws – and his metal teeth

Growing up on movie sets was fantastic, recalls Geoffrey, but having James Bond as your father attracted quite a bit of attention on the school run.

When Sir Roger came to pick him up from school one day, he remembers the car was suddenly surrounded by pupils – keen to catch a glimpse of the star.

“I thought, ‘Oh, okay, he’s known, I’m not the only one that sees him on the box,'” he says.

Sir Roger starred alongside Bond girl Maud Adams in the film Octopussy

Getty Images An image captures a scene from the Bond film Octopussy. Sir Roger is embracing actress Maud Adams. She is looking longingly at him. They are on the verge of kissing. The couple are lying down and Maud is wearing a gold shimmery top. — Sir Roger starred alongside Bond girl Maud Adams in the film Octopussy

But living in the public eye could be difficult when there was a scandal.

Geoffrey recalls a phone call his father made to him one morning, letting him know the papers had got hold of the story that he was leaving his mother.

“I said, ‘Well, thanks for the heads up! How long have I got?'” says Geoffrey.

The press had already surrounded his mother’s house. It creates “a small scar to see that your pain is exposed,” says Geoffrey. “I think that’s the worst part of being famous.”

Sir Roger and his wife Kristina visited Vietnam during his time as a Goodwill Ambassador for the charity Unicef

Getty Images Sir Roger Moore and his fourth wife Kristina are posing for a picture with 10 children in Vietnam. They are all waving at the camera and smiling. Sir Roger is 75 and is wearing glasses and a checked shirt. His wife Kristina is wearing a grey jumper and has a blue baseball cap on her head. One child is sitting astride a bicycle, while the others, all dressed in t-shirts and shorts or trousers, are standing in front of Sir Roger and Kristina looking happy. — Sir Roger and his wife Kristina visited Vietnam during his time as a Goodwill Ambassador for the charity Unicef

After his split from Luisa, Sir Roger went on to marry his fourth wife, Kristina Tholstrup, otherwise known as Kiki. He had also been previously married to actress and professional ice skater Doorn van Steyn and singer Dorothy Squires.

Sir Roger died in 2017 at the age of 89. In his later years, actress Audrey Hepburn had asked him to take on her humanitarian work for the children’s charity Unicef, says Geoffrey.

“It says a lot about his love for humanity, his love for children. And that, I think, is probably his greatest role.”

From Roger Moore with Love will be broadcast on Wednesday 25 December at 21:00 GMT on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.

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